nimbus

I've only been to one dz, and I think I've been there more times and not jumped (due to weather, getting nervous blah blah) than I've been and jumped! But Nagambie in central Victoria (Aust.) is great... the couple who run it both jump, the people who work there, instructors, packers etc are all friendly and laid back, I always feel welcome, even if I chicken out of a jump, people are always ready to offer support, advice and encouragement. They're always joking around and laughing but are really serious about safety, and their (student at least) equipment is pretty new looking to me. It's a whole weekend away trip-to-the-country when I go so I like that aspect too, there's lots of bunks and everyone normally goes to one pub in town for dinner & pool games on the weekend nights so it's just really fun. I have to get a train there but on the way home there is always someone who'll offer a lift back to Melbourne on Sunday night which is great. Nagambie just has a really good atmosphere and a great plane (Caravan). There was a really nasty accident there earlier this year (one week after I did my first AFF jump, a jumper's reserve prematurely opened in the door and ripped the plane's tail off) and they had a tree-planting ceremony at the dz for him, which I think is really nice. It's nice to have such a nice comfort zone for something as non-comfort-zonish as skydiving! larissa

Hi Viking... re: abstract photographic study of canopies... I was thinking of focusing on the colours & shapes of canopies... maybe zooming in on panels or cells or isolating them in a photo or blurry shots with trails of colour... so not so much taking photos of (open) canopies but looking at them as pieces of colour and shape... breaking the colours and shapes down into components.... but, don't know how you'd take photos like that! maybe you'd have to alter the negatives or prints afterwards... cheers, Larissa "the skies were beautiful when we were young..." The Orb

Hey jtval I found this in Help on my msn homepage.... see if it works! To change your home page Your home page is the page that is displayed every time you open Internet Explorer. Make sure it is a page that you want to view frequently. Or make it one that you can customize to get quick access to all the information you want, such as the msn.com home page. Go to the page you want to appear when you first start Internet Explorer. On the Tools menu, click Internet Options. Click the General tab. In the Home page area, click Use Current. Tip To restore your original home page, click Use Default. Related Topic Listing your favorite pages for quick viewing don't like my msn homepage either... Larissa

hi Viking, you are the busy bee! Just think of how your grandpa may have changed your diapers once - now you get to return the favour! Must be hard to see him like that though.... although he probably hates it more, I would. My studies and "other life" have kept me from the dz when I've been having itchy wings to get back and deal with that blast of air through the open door of the plane that's seeking to keep me grounded... but none of it's going to win! You will find a way, and you will also find a way to get the most out of the other things your're doing. Do a photo essay on jumpers! Or an abstract photographic study of canopies! Good luck with your studies & your packing. Larissa "because the wind is high, it blows my mind..." The Beatles

I third that big deal! well done, and here's to many more & all safe ones! Larissa

dove that sounded mighty scarey... glad to hear you're okay, apart from the pain. hope you feel better soon... Larissa "My brain hurts! Why I laugh?" - Homer Simpson

My cats' names just popped into my head, like they were telling me telepathically (mmm..).. Kismet is a Siamese and we have great conversations, her name is Turkish (from Persian) for destiny. Orbit is a Burmese who also talks, and he is so-named because he's a tripping space-cadet like me. I had a fluffy gentle Persian called Psycho (because he wasn't) and a black Oriental called Junky (reading William Burroughs at the time). My brother has a new puppy (Staffordshire Terrier) who he's called Buffy The Cat Slayer. I think it's funnier when pets have human names. There was an episode of the English tv show The Goodies that featured lots of different animals all called Kenneth (I think). larissa

My cat Kismet just attempted to distract me from reading this vital information by jumping on the keyboard. She did, however, wish to add that all cats know staring at a door long enough will make it open. My other cat Orbit is currently trying the "If I stare at her with my eyes all big and my paws together just-so in front she will get me dinner" trick. and it's worked....

there's so much food for thought in this thread..... skydiving is something I'd never thought of until I met someone who jumped. then I did a tandem and couldn't stop thinking about it. I'm not a thrill seeker for the sake of thrill itself, and most people who know me say I'm the last person they would imagine skydiving... because I often don't talk very much people think I'm shy and timid but that's not what I am at all .... like Viking I've always had flying dreams and loved them... I've also been through bad depression and used to have panic attacks as a teenager. My boyfriend (soulmate) of 5 years died 4 years ago and it took me a long time to deal with that. I think losing someone you are close to, who is such a big part of your world, makes you feel that (and I hope I'm not going to sound pretentious now) life is big, short, amazing, tragic, beautiful and that the point of being alive is to experience life (doh! dumb circular argument!). So now that I've tried skydiving it's like letting go and finding something at the same time. ... I don't want to sit around feeling bored either, I get terrified that life is just mundane and trivial. Now I'm more scared not to skydive than to skydive. And yes, most of the skydivers I've met are intelligent, and caring as well. The ADD thing is interesting... what confused me was that Ritalin is an amphetamine, which seems like the opposite of what you'd give an ADD-affected child, but a child psychiatrist neighbour explained that giving amphetamine to someone who has no concentration can focus their concentration... (there's a great scene in a movie I can't remember the name of where a guy takes heaps of speed and then spends all afternoon cleaning the kitchen). Larissa - "There is nothing to fear but fear itself."

Is the AFF course different in different places? I think we have to do two solo hop'n'pops (one exiting at 4 000, one at 3 500) to graduate AFF. Enjoy your progression Viking... Larissa

I'm an enthusiast now! (mmm, now I just have to do more than 2 AFF jumps.....) Add to that the fact that I'm visiting New York in October, with a stopover in LA, and am going to the Skydiving Chicks Rock boogie, and I'm one excited girlie! mmm, now, back to those jumps... Larissa " 'Your whole body, from wingtip to wingtip", Jonathan would say... "is nothing more than your thought itself, in a form you can see.' " J.L.Seagull, Richard Bach

Hi, I jump at Nagambie, and it's great (I've never been to another dz, but have heard people at Nagamibe talking...) The people there are really nice (in the craziest way, of course!) and welcoming. And yes, the "merger" of Fitzroy & Brisbane Lions one of the bad moves of AFL (Australian Rules Football League - and it's not like rugby! (for those of you who don't know aussie rules) Much better, non-stop action, potential for constantly changing lead, no helmets!) I do miss the VFL days sometimes.... although not last year when I went to the Grand Final :- > Nagambie has a nice Caravan... and I think I'm the one who brings the bad weather up from Melbourne. blue skies and no rain to you... but rain for farmers of course...

Hi Mark, don't be put off, there's lots of great people in here. Have you tried anything like acupuncture or herbal/homeopathy for your feet? Hey, you live just down the road from me (if you still live in Essendon....Go the Bombers!)... where did/will you jump? cheers, Larissa

Thanks everyone for all your hints and advice. I'll definitely do the packing class before I jump again, and try to get my hands on some of those resources. I feel like I'm at my dz when I'm in here, everyone there is always ready to answer questions and offer advice or just make me feel welcome... one of my JMs has set me homework to reprogram my brain so that when I come to jumping out the door (the bit I'm really having problems with in a mental/psychological way) I see it as a good thing, or as something that leads to a good thing (ie., freefall and canopy ride). One of the things I love about skydiving is the infinite capacity for learning it offers. So keep helping each other, cos it works! cheers, Larissa

This is the first time I've posted in the safety/training forum, it's like I'm at school scared to ask questions which is where I went wrong with math! I have two AFF jumps behind me, and so many questions, which I know I can ask my JMs but as it's winter (almost over!) I haven't been out to the dz much and the last time I went it was a bright blue sunny day and I just watched everyone else jump like a dodo (me the dodo watching, not them jumping...) What questions should I ask about canopy control? I've read some stuff in here about steering with rear risers and realise I am not totally clear on what the risers are and how they fit in with the toggles... (are all the lines risers?) Is there a resource somewhere that details all the parts of a canopy & rig? Next time I go to my dz I'm going to do the packing class they have on Friday nights - will this answer these sort of questions? It's just the more I think about it, the more I realise there is to think about it! My JMs are very approachable and helpful but I thought I'd ask in here as I can't go to the dz for a few weeks and I think about this all the time. At least as a student my emergency response is quite straightforward: mal=pull reserve (SOS), but I think I'll feel more confident if I know all the parts of the canopy/rig. Hope I'm not repeating questions previously answered. Thanks, Larissa "Look with your understanding, find out what you already know, and you'll see the way to fly" - Jonathan Livingston Seagull, Richard Bach

Good luck Viking, and congratulations in advance... hope it all goes well for you. (Rain + Wind + ex-boyfriend at dz with his girlfriend = no jumping for me!!) I've enjoyed reading about your jumps, although couldn't get into the picture of your mega-arch. Enjoy yourself at graduation! cheers, Larissa "How much more there is now to living!... We can lift ourselves out of ignorance, we can find ourselves as creatures of excellence and intelligence and skill. We can be free! We can learn to fly!" from Jonathan Livingston Seagull, Richard Bach.

pineapple juice is the best juice! and fresh, pure water too...

mmm, Michele you're making me dinner & drinks when I get to LA!!!! mmm.. land of vodka... vodka martinis, white russians (vodka, kahlua & milk), lemon, lime & vodka... mmm.... land of wine... merlot, cab. sav, shiraz (lots of great Australian wine) & champagne mmm... also to Bailey's, Frangelico, Grand Marnier and I'd love to taste absinthe but I think it's actually illegal here!!! Larissa

and here's to everyone's not-our-daily-selves... although don't forget the freedom you can find just inside your mind as well... beautiful skies and safe jumps to all, Larissa

It blew my mind so much I woke up a few times in the middle of the night going "F*&k! What the hell did I do that for?" I got so freaked I couldn't even think about it without my hands going clammy and holding my breath. But something happened in my mind last weekend (not drugs or alcohol!) and now I can't wait to go jumping out of that plane in a few days... although it might be a different proposition when I see the screaming sky through the open door... Yes the crazy thing is, no-one is forcing me to do this, or to even consider it! Safe jumps to everyone... Larissa

mmm... skydiving's the only sport-like thing I do, unless you count yoga which is great for mind & body, and the gym a few times a week. As for other exciting things, don't have many suggestions... not much time unfortunately between work (which is generally fun) and study (part time archaeology)... I write (stories), watch lots of movies (saw The Right Stuff for the first time last weekend - great movie!), read lots (nerdy swat-brain)...(well that stuff doesn't sound exciting when compared to rockclimbing etc! god, I sound really boring ) I'd love to learn to fly a plane... oh and listening to music of all kinds... recently saw the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra do a Tchaikovksy special... the Swan Lake finale is incredible live with a full orchestra (now I've blown my cool-chick cover completely!) And watching whales (mothers plus babies) down on the coast is pretty exciting. You could always try spinning round and round really fast and then lying down on the ground! Or you could go to a protest march/rally and join in the lame, double-negative chants (ie., student-anti-fee rally...."What don't we want? Up-front fees! When don't we want them? Now!..." but I'm getting silly... oh but my most exciting thing right now is planning my trip to New York in October with a stop-over in California on the way! "I'm gonna live the life I love, I'm gonna love the life I live" - Primal Scream Larissa

Hopefully I'll be there, on my way from Australia to New York! (might just have to watch the jumping though, if I don't have my A licence by then....) Larissa :-)

Hi Sam - yes it's lovely of Michele to offer (note to Michele, I've sent you a private message)... I don't feel like a perfect stranger living in here through my work day as I do... I've spoken to Michele a bit in emails and she's so fantastic, very cool.... always ready with a word (or 33!) of motivation, which I need... I'm even more excited about my trip now, can't wait! larissa :->

dogs... okay nothing to do with skydiving but just annoyed at getting home last night and seeing 2 dogs running around the street, which is 2 seconds as far as dogs run from a very main road... twilight, peak hour traffic and a small Pomeranian heading for those headlights... I call out "hey, doggy, come here.." and it looks at me and pricks up its little doggy ears and ignores me... I keep after it, trying to stop it from running onto the road and finally carrall the stupid disobedient mutt into the yard I think it belongs to... then almost immediately a Rottweiler trots by, heading for the same stream of cars! aaarghh! why don't these people shut their gates? do they want to see their dog splattered on the road? The Rottweiler comes to me when I try the same "here, doggy, here" trick and I hope it can't smell the cats as it sniffs my hand... I follow it back to its house and shut the gate after it as it goes inside.... sorry! just got annoyed at the irresponsible owners... living in the inner city on a major road that people treat like a freeway, they should take more care of their dogs! now to skydiving... had a dream where I was walking through a forest and saw a sign pointing to "Skydiving Community"... a wall of parachutes was built into a fence and I jumped and jumped to look over and see these skydivers... one saw me and came out to ask me what I was doing as they thought I was being nosey.... then we had a great conversation about how I wanted to jump and had done 2 jumps so far, and he told me I could stay if I wanted to and I did really belong there after all! so, that leads me to... directions... I'm going to New York in October to visit friends, and can have a stop-over in LA and was wondering if there was any possible way to get from LA to Elsinore or Perris on public transport (I ask this knowing full well that LA is probably the city with the least public transport in the world! ... mmm except for maybe the capital of Afghanistan).... I was thinking of going to the Skydive Chicks Rock Boogie... but I don't drive so would need to get from LA to the dropzone and then back again a day or two later... any ideas? bus? train? broomstick? I've had a look on the internet for public transport from LA to other places in CA, but can't find anything..... larissa

yaaay! that's fantastic Michele..... hope I can make it to that point too..